The Muskegon business community lost a pioneer Wednesday in the chemical industry with the death of William G. Jackson. And the environmental community lost a strong champion.

William G. JacksonJackson, 90, was the developer and former owner of Burdick & Jackson Laboratories, a high-purity solvent producer still in operation in Muskegon today by Honeywell International Inc.

He also was a staunch environmentalist who had a passion for clean water and water research. His legacy will continue with his name on the W.G. Jackson, the Muskegon-based research boat of Grand Valley State University’s Annis Water Research Institute.

Jackson provided the lead gift for the research boat and was a key figure in raising funds for the GVSU Lake Michigan Center on Muskegon Lake. In 1996, he was awarded the Muskegon Area Environmental “Making Waves in Muskegon” Life Time Achievement Award.

“Bill was a truly wonderful human being ... a person of integrity and honor,” said Alan Steinman, director the of Annis Water Resources Institute in Muskegon. “Bill was a visionary and it was his call for environmental restoration and protection that laid the foundation for Muskegon’s future.”

Jackson’s environmental passions came from his love of sailing, a recreation he enjoyed for years through the Muskegon Yacht Club, said Roger Anderson, a friend and North Muskegon neighbor, industrialist and sailor.

Jackson was the leading force with the “Save Our Shoreline” group that formed to oppose the North Star Steel plant planned for a Muskegon Lake site in Lakeside in the mid-1970s, Anderson said. The group went on to champion many waterfront preservation issues.

In 2007, Jackson also was honored for his business skills, scientific contributions and community support in being inducted into the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce’s Business Hall of Fame.

Jackson had a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Illinois. He worked for the Upjohn Co. prior to founding Burdick & Jackson with partner Orel Burdick in 1959.

The synthetic organic chemist worked to develop sophisticated solvents for laboratory use. Jackson sold his business in 1977 but continued to consult with the company until 1988.

“Bill was a quiet scientist, a thinker with a logical approach,” Anderson said. “He had a vision for making things better and acted to make it happen.”

Jackson is survived by his wife Kay, son Lee Jackson of Florida and daughter Elizabeth Gray of Muskegon along with four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

A memorial service for Jackson will be at 3 p.m., Oct. 29 at the Clock Life Story Chapel, Muskegon. There will be a visitation with the family one hour prior to the service.